(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) By Leslie Wilson Jr.
Published: Tue 17 May 2022, 9:11 PM
Last updated: Tue 17 May 2022, 9:43 PM
It's a sad irony that Khalid Juma Nabooda Al Suweidi, CEO of Al Nabooda Group, who has an unbridled passion for purebred Arabian horses, has a serious autoimmune disorder that prevents him from getting close to any animal.
During our conversation, I realise that Khalid, a champion breeder of racehorses, including the prized Arabian, is allergic to animal hair.
Any contact with a pet can trigger an allergic reaction that can cause him extreme discomfort. He was diagnosed with the syndrome as a youngster and has fought a long battle to deal with his allergy.
“All my life I have been allergic to pets… birds, horses…all animals,” he tells me when we met at his office on Sheikh Zayed Road.
“It is a strange condition which I have had to live with. I have visited many doctors, and specialists; I tried all kinds of treatments… even Chinese accupunture and Japanese medication, but nothing works.”
The only advice he receives is to stay away from my horses.“I can't do that so I have to find ways to cope with the condition and get on with my life.”
He admits it's difficult, but he has learnt to manage to condition over the years.
What sparked his passion?
As a schoolboy. he remembers visiting the late Sheikh Rashid's stables in Zabeel to admire the horses.“I also visited the late Sheikh Maktoum's stables in Al Aweer,” he says
Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum, three years his senior, used to go to school together and ride horses when they had the chance.
His early interest soon became serious and he began racing Anglo-Arab horses in Sharjah.“I remember at that time Abu Dhabi horses would come and beat our horses very easily. “
“I took the sport seriously when my father took us to England. I started learning about thoroughbreds and I asked myself: 'why don't I race and breed thoroughbreds'?
Things changed for him when Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, former UAE Minister of Finance and Deputy Ruler of Dubai, spotted his passion and visited Khalid's farm.
“He was to the point and told me that he will not support me in breeding thoroughbreds in the UAE.”
“We will race them, but we will not breed them because the desert climate doesn't suit the thoroughbred, and you also need a good environment,'' was his advice.
Khalid took the advise seriously and turned to purebred Arabian horses.
“Sheikh Hamdan gifted me my first Arabian horse called Aseeb which the great Lester Piggott rode to victory in Jebel Ali in the early 90s,” he reminisces.
He was hooked. At that time he didn't not have enough money, to invest in horses and the sport. but he closely followed what the Sheikhs were buying from stables.“I followed those pedigrees and bloodlines and I bought similar horses when I had the cash.”
He delved into the pedigrees of horses with a focus on Arabians.“I was very busy collecting the auction books of Arabians from where I learned about bloodlines and important pedigrees. “
“There was no technology in those days where you could push and button and find out anything you wanted to know. So, I learned the hard way from those books,” he added.
Teamwork pays off
He credits his team for the success of the group and the horse-breeding business. The Al Nabooda Group of Companies is a consortium of diverse businesses that he inherited from his father, Khalifa Al Nabooda,
“I believe in teamwork. You can have great ideas but without a good team, you cannot implement them.
Launched in 1963 with the inception of the Dubai Printing Press, the conglomerate's portfolio has expanded robustly to include over 20 different establishments and industries such as automobiles, real estate, hospitality & food services management, construction, civil & marine engineering, hotels, education, printing, equipment trading and facilities management & consultancy.
Khalid's father was major influence. Born and raised in Dubai, young Khalid went to Al Ain to study business and accounts. He wanted to be an engineer but his father wanted him to develop business skills.
“My father was an army man, and strict. You would expect that of a military man. His thoughts were either black or white, good or bad. He was very sharp with me and as I was the only son. He was a little bit hard on me during my formative years but when I began to grow up, I started to understand that he only wanted me to the best person I could be. He pushed me to be the man that I'm today.”
Sheikh Mohammed makes us proud
Khalid attributes the success of Dubai and the city becoming a racing capital to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
“I don't think there is any other leader in the world who has done so much for his country. Sheikh Mohammed challenged the world. He not only challenges his people to excel, he put Dubai on the world map and gave the Emirati people something to be so proud of.''
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